


These Little Wonders

by cristina_lore



Series: Fluff Bingo Prompts [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff Bingo, Gen, Hunk knows this and he loves him, lance is a good friend, secret notes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-02 16:39:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15800484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cristina_lore/pseuds/cristina_lore
Summary: Lance leaves Hunk notes while they're at the Garrison. It's an open secret between them.Prompt: Secret Notes





	These Little Wonders

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from the song "Little Wonders" by Rob Thomas, because Hunk regards Lance's words as little wonders.

There were a lot of things Hunk regretted about being thrown into a space war. First and foremost was the fact that it was a  _ war _ and death had never seemed as real to him as it did now. Second was that his family most likely thought that he was actually dead, and it was a special kind of torture to know that he had inadvertently caused them that pain.

 

Still, that was tempered by the fact that they were helping save the universe, helping people find freedom, and indirectly protecting Earth. It was something he took pride on.

 

But there was one thing that he regretted that couldn’t be tempered by anything, not even the feeling of being able to beat back power hungry assholes.

 

Under his bed back at the Garrison, there was a box. And in that box, was years’ worth of notes. Short notes, long notes, notes with doodles, all of them written in Lance’s distinctive neat scrawl.

 

It was almost heartbreaking to know that he didn’t have that box up here in space.

 

* * *

 

_ Hey buddy, I think you’re swell _

 

Hunk stared at the bright yellow scrap of paper that had been taped to the wall a little bit above his pillow. He had only been here at the Garrison for a few months, but that had been enough time to get swept up into an incredible friendship with his roommate, Lance. For this reason, he could easily tell who had written the note, even if it wasn’t signed. (And Lance  _ had  _ taken a suspiciously long bathroom break during their last class today…)

 

He gently untaped the note and sat heavily on his bed, still trying to process this turn of events. Lance was kind of a weird guy, loud and over the top, but somehow, Hunk had never pegged him as a note leaving kind of person. Not when he constantly made a point of showering Hunk in affection. Leaving a note seemed too...quiet, for him.

 

But it wasn’t like there was anything wrong with the situation. It was quite nice, really, and left a warm feeling in Hunk’s chest. Especially considering he hadn’t had the best of days so far. He made a decision then: if Lance didn’t bring it up, he wouldn’t either. He left the note on his desk and hurried outside. He didn’t want to keep Lance waiting for their daily workout at the school gym - though really it was more of a chance to let off some steam by chasing each other and using the equipment as a kind of obstacle course - not when Lance had done something so thoughtful and sweet.

 

When they returned to their room an hour later, they simply flopped down onto their respective beds for a well earned nap. Neither of them mentioned the paper sitting innocuously on Hunk’s desk.

 

* * *

 

“Lance?”

 

The boy in question turned to face Hunk with a smile on his face. “What’s up?”

 

Hunk shuffled his feet and looked to the ground, unable to face that bright grin head on. Not when he knew what he had done.

 

Lance’s face entered his vision as he bent forward to look Hunk in the eye. “Hey dude, what’s wrong? You ok?”

 

Hunk bit his lip. “I’m - I’m really sorry. I attacked you on that water planet, Lance; I could have killed you if you hadn’t snapped me out of hypnosis.  _ Killed you,  _ Lance.” His eyes watered. 

 

Lance’s own eyes widened and he was quick to reassure. “Hey no, nope, none of that. You said it yourself, you were under hypnosis. It wasn’t your fault.” He straightened and patted Hunk’s shoulder. “There’s nothing to forgive, man.”

 

“I  _ know _ it wasn’t my fault...sort of...I just. I guess I still thought the power of friendship would overcome anything. Or something. I don’t know. It sounds stupid to say it out loud.” Hunk wasn’t used to feeling stupid. Anxious beyond belief? Yes. Out of his element? Pretty much on a daily basis, especially now. But slow on the uptake? That happened rarely.

 

He heard a giggle and looked up to see Lance looking at him with a fond expression. “Well, no, I guess friendship didn't come through right then and there. But at the end of the day, we’re still friends, no matter what. You can’t get rid of me, dude, you’re stuck with me for life. And that seems pretty damn powerful to me.”

 

Hunk couldn’t help but laugh, and proceeded to pull Lance into a bone-crushing hug, which the other boy attempted to reciprocate with all his might.

 

Yeah, it sounded pretty damn powerful to Hunk, too.

 

* * *

 

_ Forget Shrek; FRIENDSHIP is love, FRIENDSHIP is life. Thanks for sneaking those cookies out of the commissary for me; I really needed the pick-me-up. You’re the best friend a guy could have. And you give the best hugs, just saying.  _

 

_ P.S: Shrek is still an iconic movie, though _

 

Hunk laughed softly at the note he found taped to his lamp, and then reached under his bed to pull out a box that was filled with other notes. 

 

He and Lance were now in their second year at the Garrison, and the notes had not stopped. Hunk found a new one almost every day, which was why he had gotten the box. He wanted to save all of them.

 

He placed the latest expression of praise inside and simply stared at the contents of the box for a few moments. Getting these would absolutely never get old.

 

Loud singing from the hallway alerted him to Lance’s imminent arrival. He was quick to close the box and shove it back under his bed. Lance had never mentioned the notes to Hunk, and maybe it was because he didn’t think there was a need to, but Hunk liked to think they were an unspoken secret. Something else that tethered them to each other but was never meant to be brought up, lest it take away from the gesture.

 

As Lance entered the room, Hunk smiled to himself. Learning to be an engineer was awesome, but a lot of the time he felt that learning to be Lance’s friend was the greatest opportunity the Garrison had given to him.

 

* * *

 

Normally, Hunk didn’t like change. Particularly when the change in question was their leader just up and disappearing from his lion. It was too abrupt, it was tragic, it was fear-inducing (was Shiro dead? Injured? Captured?), and it basically left them feeling like headless chickens. 

 

It was possible he was projecting, but he really doubted it, especially with the way Keith looked like he wanted to scream every time something reminded him of Shiro. (Which in turn made Hunk want to scream because forming Voltron had always depended on some measure of emotional stability, and it was already hard enough to get used to the lion switches. Throw in a semi reluctant leader with a very worried team, and basically he was waiting for the day that it would all become too much and they’d break apart and get killed in the middle of a fight, because Murphy’s Law.)

 

And yet...not every new development was all bad. There was one that was...incredible, to say the least.

 

Now, Lance was a pretty stand up guy; he thrived on social activity and he was good at getting people to not take themselves too seriously. Hunk himself was an excellent testimony to Lance’s abilities when it came to people, seeing as he was kind of an anxious wreck a lot of the time and Lance had always somehow managed to get him to slow down and just  _ breathe. _ Lance’s little notes had helped a lot with that, and often times Hunk found himself wishing that they had paper in the castle ship, so that Lance could continue to write them.

 

(Admittedly, the stress of saving the universe had probably put “writing notes” at the bottom of Lance’s priorities anyway. But Hunk digressed.)

 

The thing was, for all his social graces (and non-graces, which still somehow usually helped more than hurt him), Lance had always had that weird rivalry with Keith, that near-instinct to want to one-up him. It was like an Achilles’ heel, though less deadly and more eye-roll inducing. 

 

So seeing him now, consistently pulling Keith out of his own head and providing support and constructive criticism in equal measure...it was surprising, not because Hunk doubted Lance  _ could _ , but because he hadn’t been so sure Lance  _ would. _

 

It was progress, and that was the type of shift that Hunk could jive with.

 

* * *

 

(If Hunk was being completely honest, his favorite notes were the ones where Lance just rambled on. It made the whole thing feel less one-sided if he knew that Lance was also getting comfort from writing and leaving the notes, even if Hunk never knew how to respond.)

 

* * *

 

_ You know, I never really liked change; I’m pretty adaptable and stuff but it doesn’t mean I have to enjoy doing it all the time. I feel like you’re probably the same way, what with your anxiety and all. So I can’t be the only one who’s felt uncomfortable in the past year, right? Right, right. _

 

_ I mean, first  _ Takashi Shirogane  _ goes missing and it’s because of a pilot error? How??? But I guess anything is possible. Though I wish it wasn't, because that guy is, well, was, my hero. And I know you kind of admired the other two, the father-son duo. Seeing as they were pretty much geniuses and all, just like you, big guy.  _

 

_ And then Keith gets kicked out? And Iverson suddenly shows up with a damaged eye??? Like  kudos to Keith for once. Can’t say Iverson didn’t deserve that one, he’s kind of terrible. I know, I know, we’re supposed to respect the commanders but come on, Hunk, even you have to admit that Iverson should take the pole out of his ass.  _

 

_ You know, they said it was a disciplinary issue that got Keith kicked out but...ok don’t get mad at me. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, honest! I might have heard Keith talking to Shirogane’s fiance, and Keith seemed pretty sure that the Garrison was hiding something. This was like, right before he got expelled. I’m sorry for not telling you. I knew you’d be disappointed but at this point I’m choosing to bear that burden because I can’t hold it in anymore, Hunk, I just can’t! What if Keith was right? What if the Garrison is hiding something? What if that’s why Keith got kicked out? Honestly it makes waaaaay more sense than something like a pilot error. And with those two geniuses on board? Even if Shirogane did make some sort of fatal mistake, they would have been able to save the ship. I’m sure of it.  _

 

_ You know what I’m really tired of, though? Yeah, you already know. Just, God, why can’t the professors let go of Keith? It’s always “Keith this” and “Keith that” and “That young man had more potential than any of you grunts but he chose to waste his opportunity. His failure is your gain. USE IT.” Can’t they say anything actually encouraging for once? Ugh, it’s so annoying. And depressing. Way too depressing. _

 

_ Anyway, I just realized that this whole thing has been one long vent and that really wasn’t my original point, I promise. I just got caught up in thinking about change and how it messes everything up and makes me so confused that I even miss Keith! (Don’t tell anyone. It’s not even really missing him, just that it kind of feels like my motivation went away. And the teachers don’t help. It would be easier to let the rivalry go if they stopped talking about him all the time.) _

 

_ ANYWAY _

 

_ The only good change is Pidge. He’s a weird dude but he’s cool, and hey, now you have someone who understands all your engineering talk! It’s really awesome, though honestly it’s a little terrifying. You wouldn’t ditch me and make him your new best friend right? (Jk, I know you wouldn’t. You’re not that type of guy.) _

 

_ I just looked this over and it’s so LONG. Like literally whole months’ worth of emotion. I guess I really needed to get all that out. I have a feeling you understand that type of urge really well, to like, just unscrew the bottle of emotions and let them run free. I can't say that I'll do it in real life, but if I did, I know you'd listen and cheer me up because you are the nicest, most compassionate person I know. I thought Rachel was nice but she’s got nothing on you. (Don’t tell her I said that, it’s not her fault she was born into a family of loud sassmasters.) You’re my best friend in the whole wide world and every day I thank God that we got assigned as roommates. Makes me believe in luck. Hey, maybe I should buy a bunch of lottery tickets and have you like, rub them between your palms or something. Then I’ll win big and I’ll give you and Pidge each a third of the money. _

 

_ (That’s a lie, you would totally get more than Pidge, but only a little bit more and only because you have seniority as my friend.) _

 

_ I hope this helped you too, you know. I was totally venting, but like I said, you’re probably as turned around as I am. Out of your element. And I know for sure that knowing someone is going through the same stuff as you really helps a lot. _

 

_ Love you, buddy. Keep being you, keep being the best. You, Pidge, and I are gonna get through all this change together, just you wait. That’s my promise to you, a pinkie promise even. That type of thing is SACRED. _

 

_ Ok you’re almost awake (I can tell because your snores start changing, teehee.) Until next time. _

 

* * *

 

“Hey Pidge?”

 

“Yeah?” She didn't look up from her phone, but Hunk could tell he had her attention by the way she tilted her head, literally offering a listening ear.

 

“Back at the Garrison, did you ever get any notes?” 

 

Truthfully, this was something that Hunk had wondered about every now and then, from the time he and Lance had met Pidge until now. It seemed likely that the answer was yes, and yet...well, Hunk wasn't perfect. He was allowed to feel a little possessive about a gesture from his best friend (and Pidge’s technobabble and Shiro’s attempts to cook and Keith's laughter at lame jokes  _ and _ \- ok, maybe Hunk was a bit of a possessive person, but everything could still be chill), as long as he didn't show it.

 

Pidge’s face screwed up in thought before she finally said, “Nope.”

 

A familiar warmth was starting to grow in his chest. Still, he couldn't help but ask, “You sure?”

 

“I'm pretty sure I would have noticed if I started receiving notes out of nowhere, Hunk. It's how all the stalker movies start.”

 

Hunk suppressed both the urge to laugh and the rising protest about how notes weren't inherently stalker-y. Instead, he ruffled her hair (“I'm going to program one of the gladiators to do that to all of you and then you’ll be  _ sorry _ _,”_ Pidge hissed) and left the common room, a vague plan outlining itself in his head. He walked aimlessly through the halls, lost in thought.

 

The notes were obviously something Lance had done for him and only him. It left Hunk feeling incredibly special. And maybe a little overwhelmed, in the sense that if Lance had given notes to Pidge as well, he could have recruited her and maybe even the other paladins to help with this stroke of genius he had just had. Alas, it was not meant to be. He would do his best to show his appreciation for Lance all on his own. The rest of the team could find their own thing.

 

They didn't have paper here on the castle ship, but they  _ did _ recently get holographic notepads built into their phones. All he had to do was swipe Lance’s phone - or rather, get Keith to do it because Hunk wasn’t the best at being sneaky. All he had to do was bribe him with cookies (though honestly Keith would probably do it just for the sake of mischief). Then he’d just type a few (dozen) words on to the pad and leave it for Lance to find.

 

It wasn't as good as a handwritten note, but it would have to do.

 

And maybe by being the one to initiate it this time, he'd get more confident about his ability to write back to Lance's inevitable responses. It could be like a new tradition, where they both wrote to each other an equal amount, all the while pretending it wasn't happening. A new, sweeter unspoken secret.

 

As he searched for Keith, Hunk started outlining his long overdue note in his head. This had to be perfect.

 

_ So this whole thing is pretty  _ ~~_ sad _ ~~ _ weird, right? I mean, Voltron in itself is just mind-boggling but... _

 

* * *

 

Lance had been eager to meet his roommate, the unknown boy who he would ensure became a good friend, if not his best friend. When he finally met Hunk, he knew instantly that this was definitely going to be a ‘best friend’ type of deal.

 

Now, a day after arriving at the Garrison, he sat at his desk, being very quiet as Hunk snored lightly during an afternoon nap. He couldn’t help but glance at his new friend’s form every now and then, fidgeting slightly with the urge to wake him up so they could talk and share life stories.

 

But Lance’s mother had raised him right, and furthermore, both his parents had given him several outlets for all the restless energy he tended to have. 

 

He carefully pulled a piece of bright yellow paper (perfect color to match his elated mood) out of his backpack, then picked up a pen, wondering at how to put all the things he was feeling onto paper.

 

Some things, however, were not meant to be explained fully by words; they could only be felt. Instead, Lance decided to go explore the Garrison. He’d regale Hunk with the tales of his exploits when he woke up.

 

He stuffed the paper under his pillow, figuring that when he was a bit calmer, he could find the words to express himself. 

 

For now, though, he had only written one line:

 

_ Hey buddy, I think you’re swell _

**Author's Note:**

> Lol yeah, Lance never did add to that line and a few months down the line when he saw Hunk was having a particularly bad day, he was like, "Why the hell not" and left him the note. It all escalated from there.


End file.
